Broken Shards Of Time And Space
by zackzsilverangel
Summary: [Miracle]Two sisters both unconsciously make the exact same wish: to bear witness to the greatest feat in Olympic Ice Hockey history.
1. Default Chapter

Broken Shards of Time and Space

Disclaimer: I own shit in this story other than the characters of the two sisters, Jessica and Liz Thompson-Darbeau. Everybody else belongs to the director Gavin O'

Conner ( I LOVE YOU, man, thanks for coming up with this movie!!), and to themselves of course. The history itself belongs to those who actually lived it, Jim Craig, Jack O'Callahan, and most importantly the late Herb Brooks.

Rating: R, I guess, for angst, swears, some violence.

Pairings: Jimmy Craig/OC, Jack 'OC' O'Callahan/OC. Appearances by other teammates, and others involved as well. Other teammates mainly focused on: Robbie 'Mac' McClanahan, and Mike 'Rizzo' Eruzione.

Dedication: To Mel, because she loves hockey as much as I do, even though it peeves her that this is about the US, not Canada. To all the Eddie Cahill and Mike Mantenuto lovers out there, this is for YOU GUYS....I'm with you all the way!

Summary: Two sisters both unconsciously make the exact same wish: to bear witness to the greatest feat in Olympic Ice Hockey history. Little did they know, that wishes of any capacity may be granted in whatever shape or form. Now as they find themselves in the positions they previously envied, they must be careful to leave history untouched, and to guard their greatest possessions: their hearts.

May 19th, 2004

Jessica Thompson-Darbeau and her younger sister Liz sat on the couch as they watched the ending speech by Kurt Russell accompanied by the 1980 U.S. men's Olympic team getting their gold medals. They decided to watch the movie, Miracle, because neither of them knew very much about the story of the underdog U.S. team made up of college kids, who went on to beat the shit out of the powerhouse Soviet team, a team that reminded both sisters of the current Colorado Avalanche or L.A. Lakers teams, that both ended up falling heavily from the superstardom, with star-studded ranks.

Jessica took the DVD out of the player, and stuck it back into the box. Liz just lounged on the couch, a look that one of their friends who had been watching the movie with them, sent her into a hysterical fit of laughter.

Jessica spun around to look at her sister, who currently was laughing so hard that she fell off the couch. Matt Cooke, the culprit, a centerman with the Canucks, and a close friend of the sisters', just grinned innocently at Jessica. Jessica shook her head at both her little sister and Matt, while comfortably sitting the leather armchair on the other side of the room, Canucks starting goaltender Dan Cloutier, regarded the scene with amusement.

The invitation over to their loft apartment had been Jessica's idea, although she and her sister had both agreed that they wanted to get together with Dan and Matt one last time, before Matt was going back to Belleville, in Ontario in visit family, and Dan went back to Sault St. Marie to visit his parents as well as his older brother Sylvain's family, which included Dan's two nieces. Unlike Matt, Dan wasn't going to be gone the entire summer, since he spent most of his time in the off-season in Vancouver, but still the sisters knew it'd be awhile before they saw Matt again, especially if there WAS going be a lock-out next season.

It was also good to spend some time alone with Dan and Matt, since they were so busy during the season with the team and everything. In fact, most of the time during the season, they mainly saw Dan and Matt when they were with the rest of the team, like at Canuck Place, or at charity events, or the times every year where the girls fed the entire team Thanksgiving dinner at their apartment.

Jessica just sighed, moving over to sit on the arm of the armchair, while Dan stroked her hair lightly. She lay her head down on Dan's shoulder, and his smile encouraged her to sit closer to him.

Liz had finally gotten over her hysterical fit, and took a seat next to Matt on the loveseat. Matt wriggled his eyebrows at her suggestively, just causing her to crack up again.

Liz finally noticed the melancholy expression on her sister's face as she leaned on Dan. "What's wrong, sis??"

Jessica just sighed again, and Dan, with a look that was a cross between annoyance and sympathy, and pulled her down to sit in his lap. Jessica flashed him a grateful look before kissing him gently on the cheek.

"I guess I'm just really going to miss this; the four of us just hanging out together, having fun or whatever, I mean, even if there isn't a lock-out next season, it's going to be awhile before we see each other again."

"Awww...." Dan wrapped his arms around Jessica's waist in a tight hug, while her sister and Matt got up from the loveseat and joined the hug fest.

"Don't worry Jess; it'll be training camp before you know it." Matt smiled at Jessica reassuringly, who smiled, somewhat tiredly, back. The four of them came together for one last hug, before Dan and Matt left, having only a day left to themselves before flying back to their respective hometowns.

Jessica climbed into bed after saying goodnight to her sister, yawning tiredly. It'd been a long day, she and her sister having to go through three photo shoots each, both sisters being models, as well Jessica, being a professional artist, had to promote her artwork, and spending some time posing with them seemed the best promotion.

She had one thought before she let the dark oblivion of sleep wash over her. 'I wonder what it'd be like to actually be there, to actually see, live and in person, the 1980 U.S. hockey team win gold?'

Unbeknownst to Jessica, her sister also had a similar thought as she was getting ready for bed. Liz grinned silently to herself in the dark as she lay in bed. 'How cool would it be, to actually be able to meet those guys face-to-face and to go through the ride with them??' Liz felt herself start to drift as she shut her eyes, and waited for sleep to claim her.

Jessica felt stiff...yeah, that's right, stiff was a great way to describe it. She felt like she was lying in a tilted position, like she was sitting down instead of lying down. But that didn't make sense, because she distinctly remembered getting into bed, and lying down. Sifting around some more, she discovered that she wasn't lying on her mattress anymore, rather whatever it was that she was sitting or lying on, was made of leather. Smooth, buttery leather, like the interior of her car.

What the hell??

Jessica opened her eyes a crack, only to find herself instead of staring up at the ceiling in her bedroom, she was staring at a highway, a highway, covered in hail that stretched in front of her car, one that she could see clearly from the windshield of her car.

Dimly, it swam into Jessica's awareness that she was in the driver seat of her car. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, she noticed that while the keys were in the ignition, the engine wasn't running. Also, she noticed duffel bags and suitcases in the backseat, as though she was planning to go on a trip somewhere. Finally, she noticed her sister asleep in the passenger seat, unaware of their sudden change in location.

"Liz, Lizzie, wake up!! I don't think we're at home anymore." Liz stirred from slumber groggily, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"What the hell is going on??? Sis, where are we?? And why the hell is there snow on the ground?? It's May!"

Jessica shook her head mutely, shivering as she realized the temperature, which on the car's dashboard read -18°C. She tried turning on the ignition, hoping that having the engine on would warm them up, but engine wouldn't even turn. She tried it several more times, and still the engine wouldn't work.

Liz swore softly to herself, grabbing a sweater from the backseat and slipping it over her halter top. "So where are we?? I mean, it's hailing on the ground, and the car wouldn't start. How the hell did we end up in the car anyway??"

Jessica shook her head again. "I have no idea. Shit, Lizzie, the car can't start, how the hell are we going to get home, or even to a fucking hotel?? I can't see anybody around for miles."

Liz was about to reply, when suddenly she noticed the headlights coming towards them. She nudged her sister frantically, whose attention snapped immediately to the approaching headlights.

Both sisters got out of the car, hugging themselves against the cold. As the car approached, they noticed that it was an 80's model Chevy. As both girls braced themselves for a crazy man to emerge from the car, they instead got a young man, with black wavy hair, and dark blue eyes.

"Are you girls okay?" he asked, obviously concerned. Liz shared a shocked look with her sister, obviously conveying the fact that they both realized at once: standing before them was none other than Jimmy Craig himself. He looked exactly as he did in the movie, right down to the seductive Boston accent, both sisters now thinking that they had either gone off the deep end, or that something strange was happening here.

Jimmy repeated his question, looking worriedly from sister to sister, his gaze lingering longer on Jessica, as he took in her trim figure, wearing a pair of form-hugging jeans, and white halter top. Luckily for Jimmy, Jessica didn't notice his wondering gaze, as she was rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms, in a vain attempt to warm up. Liz recovered her voice first to answer Jimmy's question.

"Sure, we're okay, just cold. My older sister Jess and I are on vacation here, and our car's not starting. I guess we didn't realize that it'd be that cold out here." Jim nodded; coming from Boston had taught him to be prepared for the unexpected.

"Hop in, I'll drive you into town," Jim smiled hoping the put both girls more at ease, but the older one, Jess, just looked even more unconvinced. Jessica figured that just because they knew that he was Jim Craig, and that they seemed to be the timeframe of the 1980 U.S. Olympic run, didn't mean that he wasn't dangerous. Jessica glared daggers at the back of her sister's head, as Liz practically ran from their car, and slid gratefully into Jim's backseat. Didn't spending the last six years living in a place like Vancouver teach Liz anything?? You couldn't trust anyone, no matter how nice they seemed. Or how hot they looked, Jessica thought to herself as she snuck a peek at Jimmy, his hair tousled by the wind, wearing dark blue jeans, running shoes, and a gray hooded sweatshirt. She mentally slapped that thought down; it wouldn't do her any good to be thinking about stuff like that, especially since neither she nor her sister really knew what was going on here.

She slid into the passenger seat of Jimmy's car, feeling like his blue eyes were trailing her every move. Slightly uncomfortable, she moved closer to the door. Jimmy noticed that she was edging closer to the door, knowing that it probably had something to do with him.

Hoping to break the ice, and to make her feel more at ease, he decided to strike up a conversation with her. "So, what did you say your name was, again?"

Jessica felt a little sting of shame go through her; Jimmy was obviously making an extra effort to show her that she and her sister were safe with him. The last thing she should be doing was repaying him like this. She decided to smooth things over.

"Jessica Thompson-Darbeau, Liz and I are visiting from Canada, we're from Vancouver." Jimmy nodded keeping one hand on the steering wheel, as he reached over to turn the heat up. He shrugged off his sweatshirt and held it out to Jessica, motioning for her to take it. When Jessica didn't move, Jimmy forcibly flung the sweatshirt into her arms.

"Put it on, you look like you're still cold." Jessica slid into his sweatshirt without protest, Jimmy taking a split second to admire the way it looked on her.

"But won't you be cold??" Jessica's concern for the young man's welfare won out over her paranoia that he could be dangerous, and even though she knew that he was Jimmy after all, she knew she still had to avoid acting like she knew something that he didn't, which also included his name, since he hadn't introduced himself to her yet.

"Nah, I'm fine," Jimmy smiled at the thought of this beautiful girl being concerned for him, and that maybe she was getting her paranoia after all. "My name's Jim Craig, by the way, my buddies call me Jimmy."

"Nice to meet you Jimmy," Jessica replied back with a smile, "But can I ask you, what year is it right now??" Jimmy shot her a weird look, but decided to answer her question anyway. "June 7th, 1979. I'm actually here in Colorado to try out for the Olympic team, but tryouts aren't 'til the end of the month. I figured I'd come out here, have a look around first."

Jessica shared a look with her sister, which fortunately Jimmy missed. The trio rode in silence for the next ten minutes until Jimmy broke in with a remark about Jess's car, which was a 2004 Mercedes-Benz Cabriolet.

"That's some strange-looking car you have there. I'll call the towing company tomorrow and have them tow it to the hotel for you." Jess laughed self-consciously, number one not really appreciating the remark about the car, but also racking her brain to think of a suitable explanation.

Liz, however, saved her sister from having to make one up, since she did it. "Oh, it's custom made, that's all. But, Jimmy, you don't have to do that. We can just look up the towing company tomorrow, it's okay really." Jimmy shook his head, maneuvering the car into a parking space right outside a Holiday Inn that he passed on his first day in Colorado. He'd decided to drive out, thinking it'd be a nice change of pace, and actually got to Colorado Springs from Boston in about two weeks.

"It's fine, I'll call them up." Liz and Jessica both said their thanks, grabbing their bags and getting out of the car. As they left, Jessica unzipped Jimmy's sweatshirt and was about to take it off and give it back to him when he shook his head again. "No, Jess, you keep it. Besides," he added with a wink, "I think it looks better on you."

Jessica smiled again at Jimmy, as their gazes lingered on each other. Liz gave her sister a slight nudge from behind, which broke the spell. Jimmy flashed her one last smile before pulling out of his parking space and into the crush of traffic.

As he drove away, he could still see Jessica in the review mirror, with her arms wrapped around herself, as though she was trying to keep his sweatshirt closer to her.

_tbc........................_


	2. Confusion Among Other Things

Chapter Two: Confusion Among Other Things

Liz flopped onto her bed, the one closest to the door, and watched her sister unpack. This was just getting too fucking weird for her tastes. Somehow, after watching Miracle, and saying goodbye to Danny and Cookie, the two of them fell asleep, only to end up in Jess's car, on a highway in the middle of nowhere in Colorado. And if that wasn't fucked up enough, it was also the year 1979, not 2004. To top it off, the person who picked them up from the side of the road when her sister's car conveniently stopped turning over, was none other than Jimmy Craig, otherwise known as the 'anchor' of the U.S. Olympic gold medal winning team.

Liz knew that they couldn't say anything, at least not until the guys won the gold medal, because then it'd just fuck everything up. She sighed dramatically, drawing her sister's attention. "Sis, you know who that was who picked us up right?? It was Jimmy Craig, Jimmy FUCKING Craig!! How the hell did we get here?? I mean, we just woke up in your car that for some reason wouldn't start. Convenient, isn't it?? What the hell are we going to do??"

Jessica snapped the lid of her suitcase shut, turning to face her sister. "Okay, first of all, Liz, you need to calm down. I know, it freaked me out too, when I saw Jimmy. But hell, look at it this way, it could've been some psychotic son of a bitch who picked us up. And to answer your question, no, I don't have a frickin' clue as to how we got here. But while we're here, we might as well deal with it."

Liz just turned over onto her side with a sigh, and went to bed, her sister following suit a few minutes later.

In the morning, the sisters decided to do a little exploring, given that they knew next to nothing about Colorado, and if they wanted to get anywhere in the place, it would have to mean connecting up with Jimmy again, and even though both sisters knew him, it was only by reputation, and they were both apprehensive about him as a person, in spite of his kindness the night before. They called a cab to drop them off at the ice rink, hoping to run into Jimmy there. Even though they knew next to nothing about him, he was still the only person that they knew in Colorado, in this time period. After all, the Colorado Avalanche as a team didn't exist in 1979, Joey Sakic, one of the girls' closest friends was only ten years old living in Burnaby, B.C. at this point, Peter Forsberg was five, not even six years old yet, in Sweden, David Aebischer was a year old, in Switzerland, and Alex Tanguay wasn't even born yet.

And then there was Paul- Jessica's thoughts stopped abruptly when it came to the subject of Paul Kariya. It wouldn't do her any good to think about her ex at this point, especially considering the way they ended up. But of course, it didn't help matters seeing how it was that they still loved each other. Just the mention of Paul's name started this ache up inside of her that she didn't know how to get rid of. Liz noticed the expression on her sister's face, and wrapped an arm around her in comfort, knowing that her sister was reliving the memories that she had with Paul in Colorado. Liz just hugged Jess harder, knowing what being in Colorado did to her.

The two got out of the cab in front of the ice rink, Jessica still wearing Jimmy's jacket from the night before. Both of them looked around uncertainly, unsure of where to go next, when a shout hailed them. Running towards them from the parking lot was none other than Jimmy himself, with another guy following him, who looked exactly like one of the guys in the movie.

Jessica smiled as Jimmy reached them, slightly out of breath. Liz smiled too, but her gaze was already moving to the guy who stood next to Jimmy, a grin stretching across his face as he took in Liz, her slender dancer's form swathed in a light blue halter and jeans, with a pair of blue shades on top of her head.

"Hey, Jessica, Liz, what're you guys doing here??" Jimmy was curious as to the reason behind the sisters coming to the rink, but something drove him even more than his curiosity. When he first caught sight of Jessica walking towards him, still wearing his jacket, he thanked whatever power had brought the sisters to Colorado. She was, quite simply put, beautiful, wearing a simple black tank top and denim cutoffs, but he was more attracted to the glimmer of sadness that he noticed in her eyes. He wanted to find out what the reason was for the sadness, and if at all possible, he wanted to be the one to take it away.

"Oh, just thought we'd walk by, see if you fellas were done tryouts yet." Jessica said casually, noticing the way Jimmy's eyes followed the movement of her hands as she nonchalantly flipped her hair over one shoulder. She felt a tingle run through her, but ignored it, reminding herself that even though they could never go back to the way things were, that she still loved Paul, and he felt the same.

"Actually, we were just about to go in," spoke up the new guy, who Liz realized from the movie, without him introducing himself, was Jack O'Callahan. She smiled at him again, one of which he returned, as they both waited for Jimmy to make the introductions, since he was the only one who knew the sisters, and knew Jack.

Jimmy seemed to read Liz's mind, and sprung into action. "Oh, jeez, I almost forgot. Jack, this is Jessica Thompson-Darbeau, and her younger sister Liz. They're the ones I told you that I ran into on the highway last night. Ladies, this is Jack O'Callahan, my roommate here, my teammate back home at Boston U, and my good buddy."

"Nice to meet you," Liz said, extending her hand out for a handshake. Jack grasped onto it, the grin on his face stretching even farther. "Likewise," he replied, adding a wink. He shook Jess's hand as well, but kept his eyes on Liz. She just smiled and winked back. The four of them walked into the community center where the rink was, as Jack left to go get his number and towel, Jimmy said goodbye to them in order to get dressed for the tryouts, telling the girls that they were welcome to stay to watch who was going to make it.

Jessica thanked Jimmy, before she and her sister walked away to grab a seat at the rink, up far enough to not attract the attention of the management and coaching team scouting the players, making sure not to mention anything about the fact that she already knew who as going to make the team. His smile when she told him that she would cheer for him, stayed with her, but disappeared the second she took a seat in the stands.

As the two watched the tryouts, they commented on the way they were displaying their skills, noting that Jimmy wasn't using the butterfly, or really testing his lateral movement, because as both girls knew in their hockey history, it wasn't until Patrick Roy was drafted that goalies had even heard of the butterfly style. And as both sisters knew, Patty Roy's rookie year wasn't until 1986 when he single-handedly stole the Stanley Cup for the Montreal Canadiens. And that, at this point, was still a good six years off, Patty Roy's draft year wasn't until four years down the road. They also thought it was strange the way the players only took shots from in front of the net, not trying for any wraparound attempts, the way the Canucks did in their practices and morning skates. But then, they again had to remind themselves that they came from fourteen years in the future, so of course the game of hockey had evolved.

The sisters didn't say a word however, when they noticed Jack and Jimmy skating off the ice, indicating that tryouts were over. Although they both already knew the outcome of who would make the team, and ultimately who wouldn't, down to the last cut that sent Ralph Cox home, they were still excited to be there for the entire process, being as it were that in spite of being such close friends with the Canucks players and organization as they were, there were still some things that they weren't allowed to be there for.

They waited casually in the lobby as Jack and Jimmy came trickling out, the guys who made the team coming out ten minutes later than the guys who got rejected. Jimmy and Jack smiled immediately when they saw the girls standing outside waiting for them.

Even though both girls already knew that they made it, they still waited to hear them say it. "We made it," Jack and Jimmy announced in unison. Both girls grinned and extended their hands in congratulatory handshakes, feeling like hugs weren't appropriate at that point. Then they noticed that a few other guys were standing with them as well. Jimmy motioned for them to come over to be introduced.

"Jessica, Liz, I'd like you to meet two of the guys who made the team with us. That's Rizzo, who's also our teammate from Boston U, and Mark Johnson, he's from Wisconsin."

Both girls shook hands with the two guys, Jessica realizing at the same time that her sister did, that this was Mark Johnson, THE Mark Johnson who scored two goals to tie the U.S. with the Russians. They also knew him as Jacques Lemaire's go-to guy on the Minnesota Wild, but that part of his life had yet to be played out.

After handshakes were exchanged, Jessica suddenly realized something she could compliment Mark on. "You know, Mark, I was watching you during the tryouts, and I noticed that you have a really smooth skating style. You take the corners really well. Oh, and that wrist shot of yours is something I wouldn't want to be faced with."

"Thanks," Mark mumbled, his cheeks turning pink. Liz, picking up from her older sister, jumped right in. "Yeah, Mark, you snap it off really fast, I know that the goalie wouldn't see you going off the crossbar, or even if you were going top-shelf." Mark muttered another 'thank you' his face turning redder by the minute. The other three guys were impressed by the girls' extensive hockey knowledge.

"Didn't know you girls knew so much about hockey," Jack commented, feeling a little like they were stepping into his territory. Liz nodded, not noticing the expression on Jack's face. "Yeah, grew up loving it, and watching it. It's a kick-ass sport." The four guys nodded their agreement.

All four guys glanced at their watches, noting the time. "Hey, we're heading off to O'Reilly's for a beer, you girls want to come along??" Both sisters shook their heads, saying that they were going back to the hotel to rest. Although Jimmy offered them a ride, they declined and just took a cab home.

Later that night...........

Jack stormed out of O'Reilly's, full on mad, at McClanahan for taking his championship away, at Rizzo for defending that ass, even at Cox for making light of the subject. That national championship meant everything; now that that son of a bitch took it away from him, he might never be able to get it back.

Suddenly a movement in the shadows startled him. "Who's there??" he demanded. Someone stepped out of the shadows and into the light. It was Liz, still wearing the outfit from earlier that Jack thought she looked so hot in. She raised her hands in mock surrender.

"It's me, Jack. You wanna take a walk??" Jack just nodded wordlessly, thinking a walk might help him calm down. "So, what's got you so riled up tonight??" she asked him, even though she already knew the answer.

Jack couldn't hold it in any longer. "That asshole McClanahan takes me out of the most important game in my life, and steals away my ring, and I'm just supposed to forget it???! God, I don't know what the fuck Rizzo's problem is, I mean, he was there! He was there, and still he can't see why I should be mad."

Liz nodded, walking alongside him on the darkened sidewalk, lit up only by the streetlights. "Yeah, well, I know where you're coming from. But hey, I'm not one to judge right?? I've held a grudge for a lot longer than three years, let me tell you. Oh, let's see, Jess and I come home one day from school, when she was twelve and I was nine, to find our old man beating our mom to death with a hammer. Of course he sure as hell wasn't happy to see us walk in, hell no. He turned it on us, but I guess we struggled too much for his tastes, since he didn't finish the job. But anyway, at some point he decided to call it a day, and then grabbed a gun and blew his brains out all over our brand-new curtains, but hey, why sweat the details right?? The fucker left me without my short-term memory for a year, and Jess was even worse. She lost her long-tern memory for about two years. Still, we're okay now, so that's what counts right??"

Jack immediately felt like shit for even bringing it up, and when he saw the tears in her eyes, he felt even worse. "Aww....damn it, God, I didn't know. I'm so sorry for even bringing that up. God, I'm sorry." Liz quickly wiped the few stray tears from her eyes, away, and gave Jack a wobbly smile. "It's okay Jack, you didn't have any way of knowing. But I just wanted to tell you to let go of this while you still can, because holding a grudge like this, it's just going to end up killing you. I'm not kidding, because I live with it everyday." Jack searched his pockets for tissues, but of course being a guy, he didn't have any. So instead, he just slid his arms around Liz, letting her cry for a few minutes into his shoulder.

After a few minutes, her sniffling stopped, and Jack stepped away. "Thanks," she said quietly, wiping the tears away. Jack smiled at her gently, his grudge against McClanahan forgotten for the moment. "Don't mention it. Just don't tell anyone, or my rep goes to hell." The two shared a laugh, as they walked off together, talking for the rest of the night about anything but grudges.

At the same time, across town, at the university, Jimmy had just finished a conversation with Herb, and watched him walk away. As he walked back to his dorm room, he noticed someone sitting on the concrete bench by the bike racks, Jessica. He walked towards her, somehow convinced that she was here, so that he could get to know her, to talk to her.

Jessica stood up as Jimmy walked towards her, a smile on her face. "What're you doing here?" Jimmy questioned. "Here to see you," was Jessica's reply, not bothering to answer Jimmy's real question, which was who are you, something Jessica would eventually answer, in time.

"Wanna go for a walk??" Jimmy asked. At Jess's nod, they set off, into the darkness of campus, just getting to know each other as people.

_tbc...................................._

(A/N: Eric parts for my girl Piper, and sorry it took me so long to update. I was updating my other stories on the hockey-dreams yahoo.)


	3. Confliction

Chapter Three: Confliction 

(A/N: I realize that in the movie, the fight between Robbie and Jack happened before Herb's meeting with Jimmy, but work with me here, okay??)

Jack and Liz walked back to the Holiday Inn, both of them putting extra effort into NOT mentioning a word about Jack's grudge against Robbie, or Liz's nightmare past. Instead the pair decided on talking about more neutral topics, from Jack's aspirations after university, to Liz's jobs as an artist, and a model. To her credit, Liz stayed away from topics such as how she came to arrive in Colorado, and questions about her love life, however subtly that Jack tried to bring them into the conversation.

Jack seemed disappointed with her evasive answers, but did a good job of covering up his feelings. If Liz hadn't known that something was wrong in the beginning, she might have never been able to pick it up. As they approached the hotel lobby, Jack awkwardly reached out and hesitantly grabbed her arm. Liz, startled by the sudden movement, suddenly pitched forward, as though she was about to fall over. Jack grabbed her other arm, steadying her, noticing with sudden clarity that Liz was in his arms, in his embrace. And although Jack O'Callahan wasn't what you would call an emotional guy, at least not in the romantic sense, but he'd be lying if he said that he didn't enjoy having Liz in his arms. In fact, he enjoyed it so much that he was willing to stay in that position, with his arms wrapped around her, forever, if it was possible. Unfortunately, even an opportunistic guy like O.C. knew that wasn't possible.

He stepped back from Liz reluctantly, as she smoothed out her clothes. The smile she flashed him afterwards seemed to rid him of his disappointment. The pair stood awkwardly for a few minutes, not really sure what to say to one another, strange considering how they'd started the night off on such a heavy note, since Liz mentioned how her father killed her mother, as an example of why you shouldn't hold a grudge, since Jack started ranting and raving about how Robbie McClanahan shafted him three years earlier.

"Well, thanks Jack, for walking me back here. I really appreciate it." Liz smiled awkwardly, trying to alleviate some of the apprehension that she knew both of them felt. She stuck her hand out to shake his, wanting to make it clear that although she appreciated his earlier gesture in attempting to comfort her over what happened to her mother, even though it was so long ago, that she had no interest in pursuing a relationship with him. For one thing, she and her sister had arrived here in Colorado, quite by accident, and she honestly didn't know when they were going to be able to go back home, or even IF they could get back home. Either way, they didn't belong there, she knew that. All of that aside, Liz had just gone through a painful breakup, much like her sister did with Paul, in that they loved each other, but neither of them could see taking the next step to marriage and children, because it wasn't something they both wanted. They were stuck, in other words, and could see no other alternative than to split up.

Not coincidentally, Liz's old flame was also Paul's ex-teammate and good friend from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. She met him about the same time her sister had started a tentative friendship with Paul after the death of his father, T.K. Kariya, from a heart attack, in December of 2002. Liz had met Jean at a Might Ducks charity ball, where Paul introduced them. Since then they were inseparable, although their relationship wasn't without difficulties, until about three weeks before they ended up in this fucked-up time warp twenty four years earlier. They broke up, and now even the slight mention of anything about Jean would send Liz back down memory lane, and create the knot of pain of longing in her chest, causing the tears to well in her throat.

She didn't know whether or not she was ever going to get over Jean, but now was not the time, however to be getting a relationship with anyone, least of all Jack. Both she and Jessica understood every aspect of hockey, having grown up with it, because their uncle Sean, and his kids, whom they grew up, even before their father killed their mother. Even more clearly, they understood what you had to have in you, in order to become involved with a hockey player. It wasn't easy, and above all, you had to understand and accept that his job came first, and that he'd be away a lot, otherwise you shouldn't be with him. Before Jean, Liz had a brief relationship with Matt, although they ended amiably, and were still friends, having had the last two relationships with hockey players; Liz had no desire to get involved with another one. No one at all, period, so she figured it was better quit while she was ahead.

Jack reached out to shake her hand, his disappointment coming back in full force again. He expected something more from Liz, considering how they confided in each other. He guessed that he mistakenly thought that he was making some leeway with Liz, when really he wasn't. Well, he knew that he was going to break down her walls some time, and that he wasn't going to stop until he did. There was something about Liz, something that he couldn't put his finger on exactly, but that he wanted to get to know anyway.

He released her hand reluctantly and smiled rather weakly, as she walked away. As Jack turned for the door, he couldn't help but feel a sense of loss, that he had somehow failed to get Liz to open up to him, even though they couldn't really consider themselves to be friends yet. He walked through the hotel's front doors, hugging himself against the cold. As he breathed in the cold air, he realized something. He realized that he was still angry where McClanahan was concerned, but that talking to Liz had done away with some of his bitterness and anger. Looking back, he felt stupid now, having ever held this grudge in the first place, when Liz lost her mother to her maniac of a father, and almost died herself. It wasn't fair, Jack reflected, it wasn't fair that something that heart-wrenching would happen to Liz of all people. Not only was she strong, determined, courageous, and possibly the most understanding person he'd ever met, she was also beautiful. God, she was so very beautiful, and without realizing it had actually taught Jack a lot about himself that he didn't know existed. Jack had a newfound respect for her quiet strength, and found himself being more accepting of the fact that women could be as big of hockey fans as she and her sister were. Not that he was about to admit that Liz could possibly be a better hockey player than he was, no way. There was no way he'd ever admit something like that.

Meanwhile........................

Jimmy and Jessica walked in the park close to the dorms, sticking close together in order to avoid any unnecessary sort of trouble that might be lurking that late at night. The park itself was fairly dark, illuminated only by the streetlights, few and far in between. The pair of them at first, feeling a little uncomfortable, walked with enough space for a Hummer to pass between them, but that changed when Jessica jumped at a sudden noise behind them, and closed the gap between them, by making a grab for Jimmy's sleeve. Jimmy smiled at her, taking her hand in his, patting it gently with his free hand. Jessica smiled shyly, a little embarrassed, but given that she grew up in Vancouver, and considering the level of violence and fear that stalked the streets, at least in the year that she was from, she figured it was better to safe than sorry. Luckily, Jimmy seemed to share that sentiment, and stuck by her side since the initial incident.

They didn't speak much, preferring to enjoy each other's company in complete silence. A few times, Jimmy caught himself looking at Jessica when she was looking off into another direction completely oblivious to his gaze trained on her. Jimmy found that she was even more exquisite when she didn't know that someone was watching her and just acted natural, like when she stared off into space, paying absolutely no attention to what was going on around her.

"So," Jimmy said, feeling compelled to break the silence. When Jessica looked at him, Jimmy felt any awkwardness that he had previously felt disappear. "How long do you think you're going to be here for??" Jessica shrugged in answer to the question, having no idea really, since even by some miracle if they could get her car to work again, they still had no idea as to how she and her sister were going to be able to get back to the year 2004. Hell, they didn't how they got there in the first place, how the hell would they know how to get back?? But of course, there was no way that she could tell Jimmy that. After all, the least he would do would be to laugh and to not believe her, but both Jessica and Liz had agreed, since they dropped in here, to not interfere too much with history. And to tell Jimmy that she came from another time, not only would she be screwing with history, she'd also lose one of the few friends that she'd managed to find in this time frame.

"I don't really know, to be honest. But hey, it's not so bad. I really like Colorado, and the skiing down here kicks ass. It's not as good as Whistler, but I still have a lot of fun here." Jimmy smiled genuinely, his apprehension returning again, as he prepared to ask his next question. "Jess, listen. I was wondering if you and Liz would want to come with the team to Minnesota. I mean, I don't think I can pay for you or anything, and I'm sorry that you can't fly over there with us, rules and everything you know, but I'd really like it if you guys could come with us. It'd be good to get some support over there you know, since Pop can't make it out." Jimmy trailed off just then, afraid that he'd been rambling for too long. When there was a long pause afterwards, Jimmy, afraid that he'd said the wrong thing, starting apologizing, the words spilling out of him in almost incoherent fragments.

"Look, I'm sorry, okay, I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have asked. It's perfectly okay if you don't want to go. I just thought that it'd be nice for you guys to be there, you know, I mean, since you don't really know anyone else here besides guys on the team. I'm just really sorry that I asked."

Jessica held up a hand to stop Jimmy's tirade. "Jimmy! Stop okay, just stop. It's fine that you asked you know, I wanted you to, to be honest. And yeah, I'll ask Liz, but even if she says no, I'd love to go with you. It'll be pretty cool to see you fellas train."

Jimmy smiled in relief, squeezing her hand a little. Jessica smiled back, and they spent the rest of the night talking about different teams, and how they ranked in their minds. They laughed some, something Jessica figured she hadn't really done since the breakup with Paul. The pain of that split still fresh in her mind, as well as her love for Paul, she reminded herself that while Jimmy was a nice guy, and she could see them becoming good friends, it couldn't be more than that. They would have to leave eventually, and to tell Jimmy the truth behind why she was there wouldn't do him any good. It would fuck up history, and Jessica didn't want that, since her being here, in this time frame, with her sister already fucked things up enough.

-A few days later, in Minnesota-

The two sisters took their seats in the Bloomington Ice Arena in St. Paul, getting ready to watch practice begin. Over the last week and a half, as the boys completed their last training sessions in Colorado, Jessica and Liz got to know most of the boys pretty well, not just Jimmy and Jack. They learned that Rizzo believed that his Mickey Mouse shirt bought him luck, and that he made the best pasta that they had ever had in an entire lifetime. Not only was Rizzo an awesome cook, he was also a lethal pool shark. Hanging out with him, sure as hell made life more entertaining for the girls.

Mac, Mark, and Dave Silk also had their own distinct personalities that the girls had come to recognize fairly easily. Mark Johnson was the one guy who was pretty quiet, and he blushed really easily. He was also the guy to turn to if you wanted to talk about politics, or what was wrong with the world. Unbeknownst to anyone, Mark had actually written a book of poems, and had it published under another name. He was a really sweet guy, and when Liz suggested to him that he'd make a great psychiatrist some day, he turned so red in the face that he stayed that way, for at least three hours.

Mac was the one guy who was pretty easygoing, and loved to play pranks on the other guys. Part of his easygoing nature was that he didn't let little things get to him, and he was really quick to laugh it off if he had some pranks played on him as well. He also had a huge thing for photography and spent a lot of his time snapping pictures of the team, and the girls, saying that besides being a pro hockey player, that he wanted to shoot photos of everything he loved, for a living. Still Mac's greatest attribute was that he was able to let everything pass him by, like water under a bridge or water off a duck's back. Unfortunately though, not every single one of his teammates shared that sentiment.

Nowhere was that more evident then when Jack proceeded to body check Mac while his head was turned, throwing his elbow up so that Mac's head connected with his elbow, and he crashed onto the ice. Jessica winced, noting how, just like in the movie, Mac took awhile getting up. Predictably, both John 'Bah' Harrington, and Philly Verchota leaped to Mac's defense, while Dave Silk actually praised OC for the hit. As Herb talked to the boys about putting old grudges behind them, and working as a team, Liz stood up for a moment, as though she wanted to yell something down to Jack. Then she sat back down, a look of disgust and disappointment on her face.

"I guess even with what I said to him, Jack O'Callahan is someone that's never going to change." Jessica glanced at her sister sharply, but said nothing, not really sure about what her sister was talking about.

As the sisters got up to leave, Jack skated over to where Liz was sitting, his face looking like he wanted to explain something to her. But Liz didn't want to hear it. Grabbing her jacket, she turned to leave, and once again, Jack grabbed her arm to keep her from leaving.

"Liz, listen, that's it, it's out of my system now, that's the only reason why I did it. I just needed to do that, now it's gone."

Liz turned to Jack, not bothering to hide her disappointment. "Jack, I thought I saw something in you, something good. But you know what?? Turns out I was dead wrong."

Jack could only watch, his emotions in turmoil, as Liz turned and walked away from him, as Herb yelled at them to continue into the next drill.

_tbc..........................._


	4. In Confidence I Believe

Chapter Four: In Confidence I Believe

Liz sat at the bar at O'Reilly's, not really having anywhere to go otherwise, since most of the places that she went to when she was in Minnesota, whether she was traveling with Jean, or with Matt and the rest of the Canucks, or just on vacation, weren't exactly built yet. Besides, she didn't want to hang around the hotel anymore, knowing that Jack would probably come by, begging for forgiveness or something along those lines. She didn't want to see him, to be perfectly honest. Seeing Jack right now would just bring up a whole bunch of unnecessary complications, complications that she just didn't have the energy to deal with right now. She honestly couldn't begin to explain why she'd lashed out at Jack the way she did. At the very least, she knew that she was disappointed in him, for having let his immaturity and short fuse get the better of him, even after the talk they had. Still, why she was disappointed was what she didn't quite understand. Jack meant nothing to her right?? She wasn't even really sure that she could call him a friend, since she hadn't known him that long. And that was besides the point, the point being that she and Jessica would eventually leave Minnesota, leave this timeframe, and it honestly wouldn't matter what Jack was to her, or if there was anything between them, because she'd be gone, and nothing good could come of them even being friends to each other.

She sighed to herself then, wishing that she actually believed that train of thought. Whether she admitted it herself or not, she knew that she was starting to form a bond with the guys on the team, bonds of friendship that she knew that she wasn't about to forget no matter when it was that she ended up going back to Vancouver, to the year 2004. What bothered her even more though, was the fact that she not only felt that bond with the entire Olympic team, but also with Jack. The problem was, she didn't want to have that sort of bond with him, because she was afraid that it would lead to something else, something that she wasn't ready for. She had just gotten out of a very good, yet painful relationship with Jean, and she had no intention to get herself into another so soon. What was worse, the only thing that would happen would be that Jack would end up heartbroken when she left, and also feel betrayed that she didn't tell him the truth.

Irritated, she took a huge gulp of the cocktail in her hand, knowing that she felt hurt by the fact that Jack had went ahead and still beat Robbie down, even after the talk they had. It was like Jack betrayed her, in some strange way, almost like he had PROMISED her that he wouldn't go after Robbie and give away some of his dignity, yet he broke that promise and did it anyway. She knew it was irrational because Jack never promised her anything, and the fact that they talked really didn't mean anything, at least not to him.

Liz continued to mull over this, while sipping her cocktail, thinking so hard that she didn't hear someone call her name. In a daze, she only heard her name because the bar tender had to get her attention.

"Excuse me, Miss? The guy's trying to get your attention." Liz whipped her head around to see Mark Johnson, to her relief, instead of Jack, sliding onto the barstool next to her.

"What's wrong, Liz?? I saw you leave after the fight. Jack's been goin' nuts, he's been lookin' all over town for you."

Liz sighed again, focusing on the wall behind the bar rather than on Mark's face. 'Well, I guess it's a good thing that I wasn't at any of the places he looked then." Mark looked at her puzzled, not sure what she was getting at. "But why, Liz?? I mean, I know that you were really upset when he hit Mac, hell we all were. OC's never been good about keeping his temper in check. It's just like him to hold a grudge for three years and then dish out a little payback whenever he feels like it. But he really is sorry Liz, I know he is. He apologized to Mac for it, even though Mac's still a little sore at him over the hit. He wants to apologize to you too, you know."

Liz sighed again, apologizing after the fact was too little too late. "Mark, it's all well and good that OC apologized to Robbie, it really is. I guess I'm just disappointed in him, that's why. I mean, we talked about it, we talked about his grudge against Robbie, and he gave me the impression that he wasn't going to do anything. I honestly didn't think that he was going to. And when he did……I don't know, it just felt like he lied to me or something…..is that wrong??" Liz glanced over at Mark and saw a look of sympathy being directed her way.

"No, Liz, it isn't wrong. I mean, you and OC are friends right?" Mark watched her as she nodded slowly. "Well then, what's the problem?? I know that you're disappointed in him, but that's perfectly okay. I guess I am too, in a way, but I'm more or less okay with it, because that's just the way he is. I played for U of Wisconsin for years against Rizzo, OC, Jimmy and the rest of the guys Boston U. That's just the way he is. The best thing you can do is to just accept his apology and move on. You know, OC's started to change ever since you and your sister came here. He's calmed down a lot, and he's more willing to admit it when he's wrong. He's just a nicer guy in general, you know, because of you. I think," Mark paused suddenly, watching Liz's reaction.

Liz was slowly shaking her head as though she didn't want to believe it, almost like she didn't want to believe that someone like Jack O'Callahan could be capable of change. Mark reached over and lightly draped one arm over her shoulder, wrapping her in a slight hug.

"Listen, Liz, I know that you don't believe me, but Jack has a thing for you. I can tell, just by the way he acts around you. I never thought I'd see O.C. speechless in my life, but I have. It just seems like he gets his words mixed around you, like he can't even think straight. You weren't there when he first talked to us about you, but man, I've never heard the guy stutter so much in my life. He kept talking about how hot you were, and how he wanted to get to know you better. He actually told us to shut up more than once whenever you walked by. Look, I know you think that he's just an immature guy who holds a grudge, and who just plays around like nothing means anything to him, but trust me when I tell you that O.C. cares about you. He really does, I've been friends with him, longer than he's had a grudge against Mac, and he's never looked at another girl the way he's looked at you. I know it's hard to believe, but just trust me on this."

Liz just shook her head, not because she was unwilling to believe Mark's words, it was more like she did believe them, yet she was trying to convince herself to just turn away, and not listen to any of it. However Jack felt about her, and however she felt about him, nothing good was going to come from them being together. She wasn't even going to think about going that road; therefore, anything that Mark just said to her didn't matter. At least, that's what she kept trying to convince herself of. She had walked into this timeframe, telling herself not to screw up history, and just to watch the sequence of events unfold, and then be done with it. What she hadn't counted on, was actually developing friendships with the guys on the team, and actually beginning to care about them as people.

What's more, she found herself starting to care more and more about Jack, something she didn't want to do. It was just going to get messier and messier, and harder to escape once she was in. She got up from the bar, giving Mark a wan smile as she did so.

"Look Mark, I appreciate what you're trying to do here, but it's not going to work. Whatever I thought I saw in Jack obviously isn't there, so I'll just cut my losses and fold, right now, before anyone else misinterprets something. I know that you're Jack's friend and I want to thank you for being my friend too, in case I don't see you again before I leave."

Mark stood up, shocked, nearly knocking his barstool over. "You're leaving?? But why, Liz, I thought you and Jess were going to hang with us at Lake Placid. Don't leave on account of O.C. being an idiot. We still want you here, you know, we need our cheerleaders. C'mon, what do you say….will you stay??"

Still Liz shook her head, gathering up her stuff and walking out of O'Reilly's as fast as she could. She couldn't wait to get out of there fast enough. She speed-walked away, with Mark's protests still ringing behind her.

Meanwhile……………..

Jessica had run after her sister, after she'd left Jack just standing there, after his 'fight' with Robbie. Liz just brushed her off, and said that she would talk to her later. Still, as the older sibling, Jessica could always tell when something was bothering her little sister, and something definitely was, when she left the arena. But, Jessica knew enough to give her sister her space, and just decided to sit back and let her come to her, with whatever was bothering her. Jessica knew it had something to do with Jack, although she wasn't sure what. His crestfallen expression after her sister brushed him off was the biggest indicator that he did something wrong, or at least Liz thought he did something wrong, and for once, he actually agreed with her.

Jessica simply went back to her seat to watch the rest of practice, noting the differences in their practices, versus what the Canucks did to prepare for games during morning skate. Granted, there was a twenty-four year gap from where she came from, and where she was now, so of course the differences would be there. She also reminded herself that the Canucks trained for the NHL, while these guys were training to compete in the international level for the Olympics. She also noted that they were still college kids, while her 'boys' were all pro. She made a mental note to ask Eddie what the training sessions were like under Pat Quinn, when they went to Salt Lake City, two years ago.

As Jessica looked up onto the ice as the guys were getting re-assembled for the drills, she saw Jimmy wink at her as he was skating back to his net. She smiled and winked back at him, to which he laughed. He mouthed to her 'later' to which she nodded. She just relaxed and watched as the guys took a pounding on the ice, not so much in checking, but just in doing the 'Herbies', and other demanding physical work that Herb was making them do.

Practice was over in two and a half hours, during which time Jessica had managed to read the book 'Greatest Moments in Vancouver Canucks Hockey History' about ten times, cover to cover. It wasn't that she was bored, per se, it was just that she felt like she needed to have something more to do, after all, she and Liz were close friends of the fellas on the Canucks, and as such, they'd joke more, and be more interactive than normal fans. Marc Crawford tolerated it, because through the years, Jessica had been Dan Cloutier's girl, and her sister Matt Cooke's, and also 'sisters' to the other guys on the team that it really did seem like they were one big family. Marc also let them stay because they knew hockey, and they wouldn't distract the guys when they were practicing.

So, it wasn't that Jessica was bored, it was just different, one more thing to compare these practices and the Canucks' practices with. She waited patiently until Jimmy was done changing and everything else, then stood outside the dressing room waiting for him.

Mac came out first, and Jessica immediately walked over to him, concerned about how he was doing. Mac that he was fine, and the fact that Jack had apologized for the hit made everything somewhat better. Jessica just kept waiting for Jimmy while some of the other guys filed out, Mark included, who then told Jessica that he'd try and find Liz, since he was worried about her, and he didn't want her to waste her 'date' with Jimmy. Even though she protested, saying that Liz was her sister, Mark refused to listen, and just gave her a little shove in Jimmy's general direction, and told her to leave the worrying to someone else for a change.

Which was why Jessica now found herself sitting across from Jimmy in a booth at some restaurant, eating dinner and chatting about what happened before. She was feeling more and more comfortable with Jimmy around, which she took as a good sign. Jimmy had been nothing but good to her and her sister since they all of a sudden dropped into this timeframe, and he was really good about not asking questions. Still, she wanted to know Jimmy, the real Jimmy Craig, not just based on what she'd read about him, or what she learned from watching Miracle.

She didn't realize that she'd drifted off until she felt Jimmy take her hand from across the table. "Earth to Jess!" Jimmy yelled playfully, a grin stretching across his face. Jessica shook her head, snapping out of her daze, focusing her eyes on Jimmy.

"What, sorry, what were you talking about?? I just spaced out for a second." Jimmy nodded, still smiling. "Yeah, I'll say. Where were you just now?? I called you and called you, and you weren't answering, like you were in a waking coma."

Jessica flushed, embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming. 'I'm really sorry Jimmy; I guess I just drifted without really knowing where I was. So, anyway, what were we talking about?"

Jimmy smiled, patting her hand lightly. "C'mon, what do you say that we get out of here? I don't know about you, but it'd be good to get out of someplace that's this noisy." Jessica took a look around and realized that Jimmy was right.

The pair paid the bill, with Jimmy shelling out the cash because he didn't believe in ladies having to pay on the first date, despite Jessica's protests that they were hardly on a date. The pair left the diner, and went out to Jimmy's car, intent on just driving somewhere and talking.

Jessica couldn't speak for Jimmy, but she did know that she wasn't ready for another relationship so soon after Paul. Even if Jimmy was a normal guy from 2004, Jessica knew that she couldn't pursue a relationship with him when she was still getting over Paul. She knew that it would just be a rebound relationship, and to do that to Jimmy, knowing that she couldn't give her whole heart to him, wouldn't be fair to him.

Jimmy's expression was unreadable as he pulled into the parking space at the top of the hill, over looking St. Paul. Jessica nervously realized that it was a make-out spot, but decided not to say anything, because she didn't want to misinterpret Jimmy's intentions. However, if his intentions were that he wanted something more, then she'd have to put a stop to it.

Jimmy reached over and grabbed her hand, surprised that her hand was so icy cold. As he massaged warmth into it, he noticed that she wasn't even looking at him, like she didn't want to see him all of a sudden. Concerned, he reached over and gently grasped her chin, turning her face to him.

"Jess? What's going on, you can't even look at me, and you've barely said a word since we left the diner. What's wrong? Did I do something, that's why you're upset with me?"

Jessica shook her head, returning Jimmy's worried look with a smile, and then she gripped his hand, as he was trying to warm hers. "No, Jimmy, it ain't you, I just have some stuff I have to figure out that's all. You haven't done anything wrong, I'm just thinking too much about stuff, that's all."

Jimmy grinned then, turning the music on the stereo up slightly. "You know, even though we've hung out together and stuff, I barely know anything about you. Like, what's the rest of your family like? Is it just you and Liz?? Where'd you grow up?? What sports do you play?? How do you know so much about hockey??"

Jessica laughed; feeling like it was the first time she laughed in a long time. "Whoa, whoa, Jimmy slow down!! Okay, one question at a time. It is just me and Liz in the family, although we grew up with cousins and stuff that were like our brothers and sisters. We grew up in Sault. St. Marie, Ontario, we play soccer, tennis, some golf, and basketball, besides hockey. We know as much as we do about hockey because we're buddies with a whole bunch of them, including you guys, and we actually play too."

Jimmy nodded to all of this, still holding onto her hand. "But what about your parents??"

Jessica snorted, the nightmares coming back like it was yesterday. "Let's see, my old man was a fucking nutcase. Drank a lot, smoked a lot, and always thought someone was after him. It was paranoia at its highest. My mom?? Quiet, no backbone, just let the old man have his reign of everything, that plus she was suicidal. Fuck, Liz and I stayed out of their way most of the time, Mom paying for all the different lessons and classes that we took. Then one day, I was twelve and Liz was nine, we came home to our old man beating Mom to death with a hammer. Just smashing her skull in. He turned on us, and beat us down too. Guess we struggled too much for him, because he didn't finish the job. He blew his brains out with a shotgun all over our brand-new curtains. Mom died about five minutes later. I lost my long-term memory for two years, and Liz her short-term for a year. After that we went to go live with our Uncle Armand and Aunt Sarah, and they raised us."

The look of stunned shock and horror on Jimmy's face didn't come as a surprise to Jessica, but what did surprise her was the unshed tears glittering in his eyes. Wordlessly, he reached over and pulled her into his arms, her head landing on his shoulder.

"God, Jess, I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. It wasn't fair, and it was wrong, and I'm glad that that bastard paid for it, even though it ain't fair that he killed himself before the cops got him. I'm so sorry."

Her head on Jimmy's chest, Jessica sighed, a few stray tears trickling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry too, Jimmy. But it's okay, it's all over now, and it's a part of the past."

What Jimmy did next shocked Jessica to the core. He pulled her closer to him, and tilted her chin up, so that he could look her in the eyes.

"Jimmy what are you-"Jessica was cut off when Jimmy raised his finger to her lips.

He lowered his mouth to hers, and kissed her, putting all of the sorrow, guilt, and passion that he felt for her into the kiss.

Jessica yelped, obviously surprised by the kiss, but was even more flabbergasted when she felt herself starting to respond, the passion in her for Jimmy building as well.

Meanwhile…….

Liz folded up her clothes again, to pack back into her suitcase. She really didn't want to leave, but she knew that leaving was the only way that she would be able to get Jack out of her head, and the only way that she wasn't going to screw history, not that it wasn't already screwed up just by her being there. The quicker she left the better. And if she could just find Jessica, then everything would be fine. Unfortunately, she had no idea where her sister was, and in this timeframe their cell phones had no way in hell of working.

She was just putting her scarf back into her duffel bag, when there was a knock on the door. Thinking her sister had forgotten her key, or that it was Mark, coming to ask her why she left O'Reilly's so fast. Still, she refrained from opening the door right away, thinking that maybe her sister had found her key, or that Mark had just left.

"So, Jess, did you forget-"

The next words stuck in Liz's throat, because it wasn't her sister standing in the doorway.

It was Jack.

_tbc…………………_


End file.
